Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your heart. Even if you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, there are exercises you can do to strengthen your heart. 

In fact, exercise is so powerful that getting at least 8,000 steps per day, 1-2 days per week, reduces your risk of heart attack over a 10-year period by 14.3%. Getting 8,000 steps more days per week further reduces overall risk by 16.5%.

Let’s examine why movement is so important for heart health and the best exercises for a healthy heart​.

How Exercise Helps Your Heart

Even the smallest amount of movement is better than none. If you have a heart condition such as atrial fibrillation, aortic root dilation, congestive heart failure, or a history of heart attack, stroke, or bypass surgery, get medical clearance first. 

Exercise is a hormetic stressor. This type of stress can be damaging at high doses, but offers a beneficial effect at lower doses. A low dose of a hormetic stress, like from regular exercise, can create positive adaptations in your cells, making them more resilient against future stress. 

Plus, exercise helps improve vascular health, boosts circulation, and strengthens your heart muscle. 

Types of Exercise for Heart Health

The best exercises for heart health include a combination of these three categories: 

• Aerobic exercise: This is an umbrella term for exercise that benefits the heart and lungs, AKA cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular fitness (hence the term “cardio”). The short-term benefits begin within the first few minutes because as your heart beats faster, it moves more oxygen and vital nutrients to your muscles. Regular aerobic exercise is associated with significant reductions in risk factors for heart disease, such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and body composition.
• Strength training: This can be done with bodyweight, dumbbells, weight machines, or resistance bands. Look for compound exercises that target major muscle groups in the upper and lower body. 
• Flexibility training: Stretching increases blood circulation and makes arteries more pliable, which is a sign of good heart health. Taking deep breaths while stretching helps lower heart rate and blood pressure. 

9 Best Exercises for Heart Health

1. Brisk Walking

Don’t underestimate the power of walking, an easy entry point to get your body moving and lower your heart disease risk. Plus, it doesn’t require any special equipment, just a supportive pair of shoes. Walking at a pace that makes you breathe a little heavier but still allows you to talk helps improve circulation, lower blood pressure, and support a healthy weight.

2. Jogging

Whether you’re jogging around your neighborhood or on the treadmill, running helps strengthen your heart muscle and improve cardiovascular endurance. Running boosts your VO₂ max, the amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise, and a strong predictor of heart health and longevity. 

3. Cycling

Cycling on a stationary bike or outside is a low-impact activity that strengthens leg muscles and the heart muscle. It’s gentle on the joints, increases heart rate, and reduces cardiovascular disease risk. 

4. Swimming

Swimming is a low-impact, full-body workout that challenges endurance, promotes lung capacity, and works to deliver oxygen efficiently throughout the body. This is an especially good option if you have limited mobility or joint pain. 

5. Strength Training

A strength training program​ is often associated with building muscle and getting strong, but it’s also an important type of exercise for your cardiovascular fitness. Lifting weights, using resistance bands, or doing bodyweight exercises can improve insulin sensitivity, lower visceral fat (the harmful fat that builds up around your organs), and support healthy metabolism.

6. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)

HIIT exercises alternate between short bursts of intense activity (like jumping rope) and periods of rest or lower-intensity movements. HIIT workouts can provide benefits even in sessions of 10-20 minutes. They can improve both aerobic and anaerobic capacity, helping your heart pump blood more efficiently and improve your VO₂ max. 

7. Paddleboarding

I recently took up paddleboarding, which is both challenging and a great way to spend time outdoors. Balancing on the board engages your core and leg muscles while paddling works your arms, shoulders, and back. Plus, studies show that being in nature has heart health benefits of its own. 

8. Yoga or Pilates

These may seem slower-paced, but both are great for enhancing flexibility and circulation. Studies show that yoga has positive effects on heart disease risk factors like blood pressure, BMI, lipid profile, and HbA1c. These movements also help reduce stress, a major contributor to heart disease, by encouraging mindfulness and connection to your body.

9. Stair Climbing or Hiking

Adding an incline to your workouts is an accessible way to build stamina and lower-body strength. Climbing stairs or other aerobic step exercises with an incline require your heart to pump more blood, improving its efficiency. 

How Much Exercise Do You Need for Heart Health?

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (like brisk walking or cycling) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (like running or HIIT) each week, plus two days of strength training. 

There aren’t specific guidelines for flexibility training, but the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that after your heart rate has returned to a resting state, perform at least 60 seconds (which can be broken into segments) of stretching for each main muscle group. 

Activity goals can be split over your week in a way that makes the most sense for you, perhaps a little every day. What’s most important is listening to your body and incorporating a variety of things you enjoy. Celebrate small wins and consistencies. 

Can You Overdo It? 

More exercise isn’t necessarily better. It may pose cardiovascular risks for some people, and caution is especially important when considering exercise for heart failure or other medical issues. 

Some studies have found that endurance athletes who engage in high volumes of intense exercise can develop a higher coronary artery calcium score, a measure of calcified plaque in the arteries. Athletes training at a very high volume (>10 hours per week) at high intensity activities (>9 METs) have statistically higher coronary calcium scores. 

One possible explanation is the combination of chronic oxidative stress from intense, repeated training and inadequate nutrition to counteract it.

In some cases, this may lead to an imbalance in the regulation of vitamin D, calcium, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) and contribute to myocardial fibrosis, a stiffening of the heart muscle that can affect how well it pumps. 

While exercise remains protective for most, this highlights the importance of balanced training loads, recovery, and nutrition for long-term heart health, especially in athletes.

Client Success Story

A 39-year-old man came to see me because he had just had a heart attack. In our discovery call, he stated how all of his friends would think that he was the last person to have a heart attack. He is an athlete with a muscular build who often trains his friends at the gym. 

We worked together in my VIP 1-on-1 program, and in our first 90-minute evaluation, it was apparent that he had excess oxidative stress from overtraining without proper nutrition. He was on the Paleo diet and lacked many cardioprotective nutrients. Like many people, he was confused, as this diet was touted by many as “treating the underlying root cause.” 

In 4 months of working together, we increased foods to reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and improve blood vessel flow and arterial health. He lowered his blood pressure in 3 weeks from an average of 135/85mmHg to 115/70mmHg. 

He improved his TMAO markers from 10.2uM to 2.9uM (normal <6.2uM), reduced his LDL cholesterol from 102mg/dL to 64mg/dL (due to his recent event, <70mg/dL), and improved his GGT from 102U/L and 50U/L (optimal <60U/L). 

He now understands the why behind what he’s eating and how to treat the underlying cause of his blood vessel dysfunction and plaque formation. 

Tips to Get Started with Heart-Healthy Workouts

If you’re new to working out or are building your routine, approach exercise with strategy and realistic goals. Here are some tips: 

• Start small and increase time, frequency, and intensity of your workouts as you’re able. 
• Choose activities you enjoy and include a variety of types, like jogging, yoga, hiking, and weightlifting throughout your week. 
• Consider tracking progress with a fitness watch or heart monitor.
• Fitness can be easier to commit to with friends, so consider a gym pal or joining a group class.
• Find ways to integrate movement into your day, such as scheduling a stretch every hour, always taking the stairs, or meeting someone for a lunch walk every day. 

Exercises for Heart Health: Next Steps 

As a cardiovascular dietitian, I help people better understand how to protect their hearts through science-based nutrition and other healthy lifestyle habits. This includes discussing how to pair nutrition with their specific types of exercises to improve cardiovascular health, function, and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Interested in working together? Schedule a 15-minute complimentary call here or read about my 1:1 counseling and group coaching program. 

If you have not already joined my email list, subscribe here to get more heart disease prevention tips in your inbox every Tuesday morning. I would be happy to have you!

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